


Built for Manhandling

by haventyouhadenoughjay



Category: Gorilla Interrupted (2003), redlettermedia
Genre: Feelings Realization, Fluff, M/M, Manhandling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26715052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haventyouhadenoughjay/pseuds/haventyouhadenoughjay
Summary: Sid had two passions in life: His music and fucking with Dex.
Relationships: Sid/Dex
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	Built for Manhandling

**Author's Note:**

> A very quick and VERY rough fic based on [ this ask ](https://haventyouhadenoughjay.tumblr.com/post/629917525773303808/jaytommy-wiseau-manhandling-ok-no-jk-uh) I got from a tumblr anon. Thank you, anon.

Sid had two passions in life: 

His music and fucking with Dex. 

He'd always enjoyed poking the bear -- twink, more like -- for the reactions he got. The extra attention he received from the nerd was just a bonus. He liked the way Dex would pout and whine when he got annoyed.

For the longest time, his favourite method for provoking Dex had been to pick things up, holding them just out of the smaller man’s reach. He enjoyed the way Dex would pretend that he wasn’t bothered by it, gently asking Sid to give the item back, calmly explaining that he needed it for something he was working on. He enjoyed the theatrics of going to hand something back to Dex before yanking out of his reach. He fell for the fake-out every time. He liked the way Dex would go bright red before grabbing at the object in Sid’s hands as he held it above his head and dodged Dex’s grabby little hands. Then Dex would get whiney and start jumping in a vain attempt to match Sid’s height. 

Sometimes, if Sid was lucky, Dex would hit him. Not with any real force or malice, of course. Dex was small and often too self-conscious to let himself get worked up, but he was feisty enough to deliver a few open-palmed swipes to Sid’s chest. He liked the scrappy pissed off side of Dex, it was the emotional and undone part of him that most people didn’t get to see. Sid gladly took every strike from his little fists as a compliment, like Dex was admitting to feeling comfortable in Sid’s presence.

But he mostly just enjoyed making fun of Dex’s height.

The problem with his little games, however, was that Dex wasn’t stupid, nor was he exceptionally reactive. Dex knew when Sid was playing games with him to get his attention, and Dex could control his reactions to Sid in a way that Sid could not. 

Dex knew to ignore him.

Sid hated being ignored. 

It never took long after Sid found a new favourite game for Dex to just stop paying attention to him. One day Dex would be clambering all over him, getting annoyed and flustered, and the next he would simply do nothing. It had been getting progressively harder for Sid to find new methods of annoying Dex that he hadn’t tried in the past. He’d spent more time than he was willing to admit wracking his brain for something new and fun. Something virtually unignorable.

That was until one day when inspiration struck.

Sid had been over at Dex’s house, as usual, picking up his newly repaired guitar. It had been an absolute massacre. The thing had been in pieces and barely recognisable before Dex’s repair job. He had outdone himself, as usual. And, as usual, Sid had neglected to reimburse him in any way. 

Sid wasn’t even sure if Dex wanted payment. He didn’t think Dex wanted anything in return. Well, that was until around the 30 minute mark of Sid loitering in Dex’s basement, strumming the guitar and yelling expletives without Dex making so much as a peep. Maybe he was mad that Sid hadn’t payed him? No, that didn’t seem right.

Sid wasn’t the brightest cookie in the drawer, but he could tell something was wrong. 

He hadn’t even poked his head around the door to ask Sid to be quiet.

“Dex?” He called out.

“What.” The reply was uncharacteristically flat and snippy. Something almost like concern welled up in Sid’s chest. He had no choice but to investigate.

"Dex," he announced as he approached the entrance to the lab "I'm coming in!"

Dex was suddenly in the doorway, looking stern. "No, you're not."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

They stared for a moment. Dex was standing in a defensive pose, trying to look as big and unmovable as possible. It might have worked if it weren't for his size. That's when Sid had a galaxy brain moment.

Sid surged forward, wrapped his arms around Dex’s waist and hoisted him up. There was a moment of quiet shock where they were face-to-face, their chests pressed together. Dex’s face went bright red. Sid only had a brief moment to appreciate how cute Dex looked with his cheeks flushed.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Dex screamed. He began flailing his limbs like a petulant child. "Put me down!" He balled up his fists and brought them down on Sid's chest forcefully. Sid adjusted his hold, shuffling his arms so they wrapped around his hips, lifting Dex higher. Dex put his hands on Sid's shoulders to steady himself as he began kicking. He was glaring with all his might down at Sid who laughed in response. He took a few steps forward until he was standing inside the lab.

“I’m just teasing you, mate.” He loosened his grip, letting Dex slide back down to the floor. “What are you trying to hide in here?”

Dex looked ruffled, still red in the face and pouty. Sid could tell he was embarrassed. 

“I’m not hiding anything.” He folded his arms over his chest, still defensive.

“Then why are you acting like you’ve got a stick up your bum?”

Dex went an even deeper shade of red. “I’m not.” he snapped through gritted teeth. “I’m just not in the mood for your bullshit today.”

Sid’s grin faltered slightly. As much as he loved annoying Dex, he didn’t enjoy actually  _ annoying  _ him. That didn’t really make sense, even to himself, but there was something so unenjoyable about being the source of Dex’s genuine indignation.

“Alright, I’ll get going then.”

“Yeah, fine.”

Neither of them moved.

“See ya ‘round, then?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Dex was very deliberately not making eye contact. “Sid?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t--” he huffed, his face still flushed “Don’t do that again.”

“Don’t know if I can resist, mate.” He shot a smile at Dex, who still was not looking, before turning to leave.

* * *

As warned, Sid could  _ not _ resist. Dex’s reaction had just been too good. 

He didn't push his luck straight away. Going by Dex’s reaction, he hadn't been too pleased with Sid’s antics, but what else was new? 

It only took a week before he gave into temptation again.

Dex was in his lab, leaning over his desk when Sid let himself in. He didn't seem to be working on anything, just looking. 

"What you got there?" He asked, breaking the silence and making Dex jump. He turned to look at Sid.

"Nothing, just looking over some schematics."

Sid approached Dex casually. "Give us a look, then."

Before Dex could open his mouth to respond, he reached out, wrapping his hands around Dex's waist. Despite his slight frame, he wasn't weightless, and it took more effort to lift Dex with just his hands than Sid had expected. Nevertheless, he managed to heft the smaller man from where he was obscuring the view of his desk and deposited him about a foot to the left.

Sid directed his attention to the schematics on the table as soon as his hands left Dex's sides. He could make neither heads nor tails of what he was looking at.

"Aw, yeah, looks great, mate. What's it for?" He looked back to Dex, who was boggling at him, seemingly lost for words.

Sid waited for a response, doing his best to suppress a grin.

Dex stuttered a moment before his brain seemed to catch up with him. "It's just a commission for someone." He looked at Sid blankly "I'm not supposed to show it to anyone."

Sid laughed and clapped his hand on Dex's shoulder. "Good thing I don't know what any of this shit means then, eh?"

"I guess?"

Sid couldn't stop the grin from splitting his face at Dex's dumbfounded expression. He pointed towards the door. "I'm gonna go practice before I head out tonight." He turned to leave. "Good luck with your thing." 

"Thanks." Dex muttered, still sounding dazed. "You too."

Sid turned as he walked through the doorway. "Cheers, mate."

* * *

The whole schematics “incident” had signalled the beginning of a new cycle for Sid. He knew what was going to happen. He would continue to annoy Dex with his fun new methods until the novelty wore off and Dex began to expect it. This was normal. What wasn’t normal was how quickly Dex began to ignore him.

It had only taken a few more instances for Dex to stop responding to Sid’s provocations entirely. He began trying new approaches. He snuck up behind Dex when he was deep in thought, or looking over plans, and throwing his arms around his middle without warning, hoisting him as high as he could. 

This earned him a startled shriek and kick dangerously close to the crotch the first time it happened, but every subsequent ambush got him an almost bored “Hi, Sid.” or a “You could at least say ‘hello’.”

And then another unexpected thing happened.

This was usually the point in Sid’s little games where he got bored and eventually moved on to something else. But he didn’t stop. He  _ couldn’t  _ stop. Sid had taken every opportunity to take hold of Dex and lift him as high as he could. It became its own little game.

He found strange pleasure in flaunting his superior height and strength and there was endless entertainment to be had in poking fun at Dex’s size.

At one point, he'd even tried getting a reaction out of Dex by scooping him up bridal style.

"Y'know, I think you're just the right size for me to bench press." He'd said, demonstrating this by lifting Dex up and down a few times. Dex only blushed, but it was enough to make Sid laugh. "You should come with me to the gym."

Dex snorted and rolled his eyes "You don't go to the gym."

"Well, I don't need to when I've got you." He hefted Dex up once more before letting him spill out of his arms.

Dex just rolled his eyes and went back to work. "Whatever."

The next surprising turn of events came when he found Dex blindly reaching for something on a high shelf in his lab. He was on tiptoes, arm fully extended, trying to reach for something he couldn’t even see.

“Having some trouble there, mate?”

“Sid, can you--” he was cut off suddenly when Sid bent down to wrap his arms around his thighs. Sid stood up slowly, making sure Dex had his balance before reaching his full height. His hand was on one of Sid’s shoulders as he half-sat on the other.

Dex made a sound of triumph. “I got it! I knew it was here somewhere.” Sid took that as his cue to lower Dex back down to the floor. They both righted themselves. 

Dex was grinning at him. “Thanks, Sid.” He sounded genuine in a way that made Sid’s insides flutter.

Oh _.  _ That was new.

He could feel heat in his face. He wasn’t a fan of that. “No problem.” he said curtly. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice about being so short.”

Dex’s smile turned into an annoyed smirk as he rolled his eyes. “I’ll remember that for next time, asshole.” there was no malice behind the insult, and Sid wasn’t quite sure why it made his insides flutter again.

* * *

Sid wasn’t quite sure how he’d got Dex to come to his show. As unsure of himself as he could be, he wasn’t easily pressured into things that he didn’t want to do. He suspected it could have had something to do with his dad being home, or having friends over or something. It wasn’t any of Sid’s business. As long as Dex was having a good time. Something about that seemed to matter a lot. 

They’d arrived early because Sid needed to be backstage before his set, and something in the back of his mind told him that Dex should settle into the atmosphere before Sid fucked off. 

“I hate this.” Dex yelled into his ear after only five minutes. “Why did I agree to this?”

Sid shrugged. He genuinely didn’t know. “I’ll get you a drink.” he yelled over the sound of the band playing.

“You know I don’t drink, Sid!” Dex said petulantly as Sid guided him towards the bar with a hand on his back.

“Well, now’s the time to start!” He ordered two exorbitantly priced jack and cokes. He would usually just get anything cheap, but this felt like a special occasion. A once in a lifetime occasion. He kind of wanted to impress Dex by splashing out a bit.

Sid handed the drink to Dex, who was visibly uncomfortable. The club was packed to the rafters with punks garbed in leather and spikes, many of them towering over the small nerd in their big boots. The poor guy stuck out like a sore thumb. 

Sid had to lean in close to be heard above the music when he spoke. 

“Relax.” He looked pointedly at Dex, taking a swig from his drink and gesturing for Dex to do the same. He grimaced at the taste and leaned in close to Sid. 

“It’s strong.” Sid couldn’t help but laugh. Dex wasn’t a drinker, but to think the barely-a-shot of Jack Daniels was strong was...well Sid had to admit it was kind of endearing. 

They watched the rest of the set in relative peace, constantly jostled by the rowdy crown around them. Dex had somehow become lodged against his side, he was probably closer than strictly necessary. It was almost a shame to pull away when the band wrapped up their final song.

“I have to go, I’m up next.” Dex looked worried and Sid shot him what he hoped was a comforting smile. “Won’t be too long. Get yourself another drink and enjoy the show.” He could practically taste Dex’s apprehension as he made his way backstage.

His set flew by. Sid hadn’t had a drummer in a good while, and had learned how to make do without one. Turns out all crowds really want is a show, and Sid could do that. He threw himself around the stage with a reckless abandon as he played. He occasionally shot a glance out into the crowd. He supposed Dex was probably too short to be seen, even from stage. He pushed any worry he definitely did  _ not  _ feel to the back of his mind and focussed to entertaining the crowd.

He felt a sense of relief once the set was over. He made a beeline for where he had left Dex before he had left him. Between the swarms of people dressed in black he spotted a glimpse of a familiar Star Trek shirt near the bar and pushed his way over. 

Dex looked fine. More than fine actually, he was smiling and drinking something colourful. As he approached, he noticed that Dex was talking to someone. It was some guy, tall dark hair, unremarkable for this crowd. What stood out to Sid was the way he had leaned into Dex’s personal space. Even more alarming was the way Dex had laughed at something the random guy said.

Sid didn’t know the dude, but he fucking hated him.

He stormed up to where they stood at the bar when Dex spotted him. His smile grew and he waved. Sid could see him leaning over to the guy excitedly and pointing. It wasn't until he reached his side that he could make out what was being said. “-- the guy that just played! I fix his guitar!” Dex swivelled his head to grin at Sid brightly and drunkenly. The nerd was borderline wasted.

“It’s time to go, mate. I think you’ve had enough.”

Without giving him time to respond, he slid his arm around Dex’s middle and hoisted him over his shoulder. Dex was drunk and pliant and he could feel his body shaking with laughter as he begged Sid to put him down. 

Sid shot a glare at the random guy, who at least had the decency to look apologetic. 

Dex was rambling as Sid carried him through the crowded bar towards the exit.

“I made a friend.” He shouted somewhere in the vicinity of Sid’s ear. “Did you meet him.”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think of him?”

“Seems like an asshole.”

“Nooo, Sid, he was so nice!” Dex swung his leg as if to knee Sid in the stomach, somehow missing despite his legs pressing against Sid’s front. “He even bought me a drink! Why do you hate everyone all the time?”

“I don’t hate everyone, nerd.” 

He felt Dex giggle from where his face was pressed into the back of Sid’s shoulder. 

The cold air was a shock to the system when he stepped out onto the street, he wondered if Dex would be okay in his flimsy lab coat. It wasn’t so bitterly cold when they walked to the club earlier, but the chill seeped into Sid’s bones even with the leather jacket.

“Alright, time to get going.” Sid leaned forward, expecting Dex to slide from his position over his shoulder. What he did not expect was two arms to encircle his neck.

“No,” Dex’s face was pushed up against the side of Sid’s head, and he could feel the warm breath tickling his cheek. “Carry me properly.” 

Sid paused to think. No obvious answers came to his mind. “What?”

Dex breathed out, maybe it was supposed to be a drunken dramatic sigh. “Like when you lifted me.”

“I’ve been lifting you a lot recently if you haven’t noticed.”

“No, no, no, when you  _ lifted  _ me, like you were at the gym.” It took a moment to click before Sid realised what he meant.

Oh. Yeah.

He slid the hand that wasn’t supporting Dex’s back under his knees. Dex sighed and relaxed his grip on Sid’s neck, sliding into the bridal carry. He rested his head on Sid’s shoulder. “Take me home.”

Sid snorted indignantly. “I’m not carrying you all the back. You’re too heavy.”

Dex looked up at him through heavy eyelids. “I thought you said you could bench press me.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t carry weights everywhere I go.” 

Dex hummed “Well, I’m not getting down.” he buried his nose into Sid’s neck “You’re too comfy. Warm.” he breathed in deeply “Smell good.”

Sid had to gather all his willpower to stop himself from burying his face into Dex’s hair, squeezing him to his chest and admitting that yes, he would carry Dex home if he could and, God, Dex always smelled so good too.

Instead he asked “What can I do to convince you to walk home?”

Dex hummed again and opened his eyes. His cheeks were red, maybe from the cold or the alcohol, or something else. He lifted his head until his face was only inches from Sid’s own. “Kiss?”

Well. That was unexpected. But, Sid supposed, here were far worse things in the world than kissing a cute little scientist who smelled nice.

He leaned in to press a chaste kiss to Dex’s lips, eliciting a small whine from the other man before pulling back. 

Dex whined again, getting pouty. “That wasn’t enough to convince me to walk.”

Sid couldn’t keep the smirk off his face “You gotta get down before I drop you.”

“Fine,” Dex let himself drop from Sid’s arms “But I expect reimbursement when we get back to mine.”

Sid chuckled. “Sounds good, mate.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a fic in less than a day ??? I didn't know it was even possible ????
> 
> Anyway, sorry if it's terrible, but this might become a Thing where I write something short quick based on things I start on tumblr.


End file.
